How we chose
We started from the more than fifty land and estate agents Google Maps shows across Telford. Scheme memberships were sourced from the Property Ombudsman register, each firm's website and consumer platforms [4] [7] [8]. Each business must first meet our basic checks: it is who it says it is, it is trading today and can be reached, and its redress membership is on the register. Twelve firms met all three; ten make the table. What customers say counts most toward the score — the star rating itself, since beyond a small handful of reviews volume adds nothing — then proof of professional standing, then whether the firm has traded two years or more and whether its cover is stated, then pricing clarity and website detail. All evidence is dated early September 2026.
How to hire
Match the agent to the job first. A land and estate agent sells homes and land, values property and negotiates offers; a letting agent finds tenants, collects rent and manages the tenancy day to day, and many Telford branches do both from the same desk. Wellington, Oakengates and Ironbridge each have their own high-street offices, the Shopping Centre holds a town-centre branch, and Nock Deighton runs a named Land and New Homes arm for plots and new-build sellers. When you first enquire, say whether you are selling, letting or both, and where the property sits.
Check redress before you instruct. Every estate agent handling residential property and every letting agent or property manager in England must belong to an approved redress scheme, or face a fine of up to five thousand pounds [4]. The two approved schemes are The Property Ombudsman and the Property Redress Scheme [4]. Type the business name into the Ombudsman business search and check the name and address that come back match the branch you are hiring [7]. If the name is missing, ask why before you go further.
If you are letting, check client money protection next. Any letting or management agent in England that holds rent or deposits must belong to an approved client money protection scheme, which compensates landlords and tenants if the money cannot be repaid [5]. The agent must display its membership certificate in the office and on its website and provide a copy free to anyone who asks [5]. Propertymark's find-an-expert search shows certified agents across sales and lettings disciplines [8]. Ask for the certificate by name and read which scheme stands behind it.
Know who pays what since the tenant fees ban. From June 2019 almost all charges to tenants in England are banned, leaving only rent, capped tenancy and holding deposits and a short list of permitted payments, so the landlord now contracts and pays for the agent's service [6]. That makes the landlord fee schedule the document that matters: the service tier and monthly percentage, the set-up and inventory charges, any renewal fee and the notice period. Belvoir, Coleman Estates, Newton Fallowell and Foden Property all publish tenant or landlord figures on the page; where a branch publishes nothing, get the whole schedule with VAT in writing before you sign.
Get the sales quote in the same written form. It should name the commission percentage, say whether VAT goes on top, give the tie-in length and notice terms, and list what is included: photographs, floor plans, portal listings, board and accompanied viewings. Check whether the deal is no sale, no fee or whether money changes hands whatever happens, since online fixed-fee deals often take payment up front [1]. Get two or three quotes on the same written scope and treat an outlier, far above or below the rest, as a question rather than a bargain.
Finish with the paperwork filed, not promised. Sellers should hold the signed agency agreement and the energy performance certificate, which you must order before you market the property and which lasts ten years [10]. Landlords should hold the written tenancy agreement, the inventory and check-in report that records the starting condition, and the deposit paperwork for the tenancy [3] [6]. Photograph meter readings on moving day and keep every quote, invoice and certificate where you can find them at sale or re-let.
Pricing
As of summer 2026, selling through a high-street agent on a sole-agency deal typically costs 1% to 1.8% plus VAT, with Rightmove putting the 2025 average at around 1.3% including VAT [1]. The HomeOwners Alliance puts the 2026 average at 1.42% including VAT, with multi-agency deals running 2% to 3.6% [2]. Online agents offer fixed fees, often £500 to £1,500 and frequently payable up front whether the property sells or not [1].
Letting fees sit with the landlord since the tenant fees ban, and full management typically runs 8% to 12% of the monthly rent plus VAT, with around 10% the common benchmark [3]. Rent collection without day-to-day management runs roughly 5% to 8%, while let-only tenant-find is a one-off charge, often around a month's rent or a flat £400 to £1,500 [3]. Set-up, inventory and renewal fees sit outside the headline percentage and vary widely between branches [3].
Three things move the price most: the service tier you choose, the property itself, and what sits outside the headline rate. Homes needing hands-on management cost more than quiet lets, portfolio landlords can often negotiate the percentage down, and add-ons such as inventories, renewals and void cover stack several hundred pounds across a year that the headline rate does not show [3]. VAT is the quietest uplift of all: most agents quote exclusive of the 20% rate, so an advertised 10% really costs 12% of your rent [3].
Get the whole schedule in writing before you sign: every percentage and flat fee with VAT included, the tie-in and notice period, and exactly which services each tier covers. Most branches in this round publish no sales fee scale, so the written quote does the talking — compare two or three on the same scope and keep the winning schedule with the signed agreement.
Red flags
The business does not appear when you search its name on the approved redress scheme registers [4] [7].
A letting agent that handles rent or deposits shows no client money protection certificate on its website or in its office [5].
The sales quote names a commission without saying whether VAT goes on top or how long the tie-in lasts.
A letting agent asks you, as the tenant, for charges outside the short permitted-payments list [6].
The valuation arrives without a visit and without questions about condition, tenure or chain.
You are pressed to sign a long sole-agency tie-in on the first visit with no written terms to take away.
A new tenancy starts with no written agreement and no inventory or check-in report.
The bottom line
For most Telford sellers and landlords, start with Belvoir: one Central Park branch for sales, lettings and mortgages, with tenant charges published and redress on the register. Its company record is there to check and the branch page links landlord fees, so you can compare its quote against others on paper rather than promises.
Match the pick to the job where you have a particular need: Foden Property for landlords who want letting packages priced on the page, Nock Deighton for land or new-build sellers who want a named specialist arm. Then get two or three written quotes on the same scope, check the redress register and the client money certificate yourself, and agree every fee with VAT before you sign.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.